Western Sahara, No GoMauritania, Also no goSenegal, DittoGambia, Maybe

Beware the evil that lurks behind every sandune! AQ got several million Euros for two Austrians & now they have to Canadians, want to try for a trivecta?

Bon Chance!

:2guns

olivierk13

01-30-2009 11:00 PM

Hi,

Western Sahara : depend of what part you speaking of, the Moroco part of WS is almost secured

Mauritania : travel with other vehicules and a guide (not alone) is the better thing to do, but you have to know it can be dangerous place (mines in the desert, no institutional help if you're have an accident, and criminality). And it's getting worse since the army took the power 1.5 years ago (2 years ago 3 frenchs tourists were killed in east Mauritania).

Senegal : no real problems exept criminality like in every country, specially where you find some poor people with no social programms.

For mauritania you have a Map of area to go and NOT to go (red area) :

For the legal procedures you'll find them on your internet consulate as said before in the thread. Ah yes, if can go to Moroco to Mauritinia with a simple and easy to obtain visa, going to Mauritania to Moroco is sometimes more complicated (it was in 1996)

LOZ

01-31-2009 01:28 AM

don't believe all the crap your hearing about all the bogy men behind every dune and landmines allover the place you'll end up staying at home stamp collecting and you know what happened to the bloke who cut his tongue on a stamp...

Western Sahara, No GoMauritania, Also no goSenegal, DittoGambia, Maybe

Beware the evil that lurks behind every sandune! AQ got several million Euros for two Austrians & now they have to Canadians, want to try for a trivecta?

Bon Chance!

:2guns

Danger does not lurk behind every dune. The Austrians were taken in northeastern Mali, the Canadians in Niger, not in Mauritania, Senegal or Gambia. There's a vast no-go zone in the Sahara that overlaps parts of Mauritania, Algeria, Mali and Niger. The dodgy areas are well known, and you'll be warned plenty where not to go. Seek local advice along the way, and you'll be fine.

I don't know anything about Western Sahara, but most of Mauritania is fine. Senegal is fine all over and so is The Gambia.

Petty crime is the worst that'll happen, so stay in places where you can park your bike in enclosures, and keep your valuables safe.

Your biggest danger is still your motorcycle. ATTGATT, even when it's hot enough to roast you.

Insurance: Any AXA office can sell you a brown card, which covers Senegal, Gambia, Mali and maybe other countries. AXA has offices in all the major West African towns.

Carnet: Rules keep changing, and aren't evenly enforced. Sometimes your vehicle can enter if they write it into you visa/passport, sometimes they want a carnet. With a carnet, it's always fine.

Senegal: Dakar is magical, with great nightlife. Don't be afraid to get out there. It's little daunting at first (a lot of very persistent street vendors), but worth the effort. St. Louis is lovely too. Great jazz.

Gambia: Roads are crap (just remnants of asphalt between the deep potholes) and not much to see if you're not into bird watching.

Mali: I know this wasn't on your list, but Mali's got much more to offer than Gambia or Senegal. It's only dodgy in the remote northeast, the rest is fine. Ride up to Timbuktu. The town's not much, but the ride up is amazing, and if you time it right, the Festival au Desert is a magical music festival in the desert. Visit Djenne, an ancient town with mud buildings, and I mean buildings, not huts. Some are three storeys high. It's home to the world's largest mud building (a mosque) and you can sleep on the roof of a mud guesthouse. Go trekking among the primitive Dogon people along the Bandiagara escarpment. It's like a living museum of ancient civilizations. You need a guide though. Ask for Mr. Goldfish. He's a treasure, and well respected in the area.

Relax, have fun, and don't be afraid to mix with the locals. You'll know which ones are genuine, and who's just trying to get a buck.

NoExit

01-31-2009 07:53 AM

If you want peace of mind, there are a few operations in Europe that run trips down to West Africa in convoys of trucks and bikes.

The lighter the better in sand, and with one of these operations you can have them carry your gear, water and fuel, and you can just ride.

I don't remember the names of the operations, but Google should find them.

Frgich

01-31-2009 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LOZ

don't believe all the crap your hearing about all the bogy men behind every dune and landmines allover the place you'll end up staying at home stamp collecting and you know what happened to the bloke who cut his tongue on a stamp...

don't believe all the crap your hearing about all the bogy men behind every dune and landmines allover the place you'll end up staying at home stamp collecting and you know what happened to the bloke who cut his tongue on a stamp...

That looked a great trip :bow :bow :bow Cheers for posting pic,s :thumb

I'll start planning then

Cheers

Louis

Louisdut

01-31-2009 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoExit?NoProblem

Danger does not lurk behind every dune. The Austrians were taken in northeastern Mali, the Canadians in Niger, not in Mauritania, Senegal or Gambia. There's a vast no-go zone in the Sahara that overlaps parts of Mauritania, Algeria, Mali and Niger. The dodgy areas are well known, and you'll be warned plenty where not to go. Seek local advice along the way, and you'll be fine.

I don't know anything about Western Sahara, but most of Mauritania is fine. Senegal is fine all over and so is The Gambia.

Petty crime is the worst that'll happen, so stay in places where you can park your bike in enclosures, and keep your valuables safe.

Your biggest danger is still your motorcycle. ATTGATT, even when it's hot enough to roast you.

Insurance: Any AXA office can sell you a brown card, which covers Senegal, Gambia, Mali and maybe other countries. AXA has offices in all the major West African towns.

Carnet: Rules keep changing, and aren't evenly enforced. Sometimes your vehicle can enter if they write it into you visa/passport, sometimes they want a carnet. With a carnet, it's always fine.

Senegal: Dakar is magical, with great nightlife. Don't be afraid to get out there. It's little daunting at first (a lot of very persistent street vendors), but worth the effort. St. Louis is lovely too. Great jazz.

Gambia: Roads are crap (just remnants of asphalt between the deep potholes) and not much to see if you're not into bird watching.

Mali: I know this wasn't on your list, but Mali's got much more to offer than Gambia or Senegal. It's only dodgy in the remote northeast, the rest is fine. Ride up to Timbuktu. The town's not much, but the ride up is amazing, and if you time it right, the Festival au Desert is a magical music festival in the desert. Visit Djenne, an ancient town with mud buildings, and I mean buildings, not huts. Some are three storeys high. It's home to the world's largest mud building (a mosque) and you can sleep on the roof of a mud guesthouse. Go trekking among the primitive Dogon people along the Bandiagara escarpment. It's like a living museum of ancient civilizations. You need a guide though. Ask for Mr. Goldfish. He's a treasure, and well respected in the area.

Relax, have fun, and don't be afraid to mix with the locals. You'll know which ones are genuine, and who's just trying to get a buck.

Big thank's for the info :thumb

Cheer

Louis

kneeslider

01-31-2009 02:20 PM

Safe in the Sand

Good to hear all is safe & good to go! Thanks for he update on the Magreb!

Oh, it has been reported that the Canadians have been moved to Mali & Mauratania & have been split up & most likely being moved every few days!

Try to learn a little Arabic & Berber before going.

Bon voyage!

:pope

LOZ

02-01-2009 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Louisdut

That looked a great trip :bow :bow :bow Cheers for posting pic,s :thumb

I'll start planning then

Cheers

Louis

sorry about that mate,i've only just found out how to post picc's and went a bit mad:evil